Learning What Can't Be Taught
by Cookies-and-Ink
Summary: A collection of Harmony drabbles. For the Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition. [Completed]
1. Closing The Distance

**A/N:** This is a collection of Harmony drabbles. It isn't in any particular chronological order and has been written for the **Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition** with the constraint of 100 - 200 words.

**Closing The Distance**

"Hermione, just listen to me." Harry yelled at her and she finally stopped running, turning on her heel to glare at him furiously.

"What? What are you going to say? That he made a mistake? That he'll change?" she asked, eyes wild and Harry closed the distance before pressing his lips against hers, successfully quieting her down. Hermione froze before moving to wrap her hands around the top of Harry's arms, kissing back hard.

"He's a bastard and a prick and he never should have treated you like that." Harry breathed, resting his forehead against hers. "I'm so sorry Hermione."

"For what? Because Ron's Ron or because you made me wait all this time?"

She smiled slightly and Harry gently brushed away the tears which had leaked from her eyes.

"Let me make it up to you." he whispered, capturing her lips in another kiss that Hermione hoped would last forever.

* * *

Competitions and challenges:

- Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition with the prompt 'Shut Up' for the letter S.

- The If You Dare Challenge with prompt #573 - Day Of Change


	2. Finding Companionship In Loneliness

**Finding Companionship in Loneliness**

Hermione threw the covers of the bed back with a glower, glancing at the empty pillow next to her. Harry had been away for a week. She hadn't been able to know where he was going and she hadn't heard a word from him.

The dog howled again.

It hadn't stopped for two nights and she'd be damned if she two hours sleep again. Determined to sort out whatever the problem was she put on her slippers.

The street was empty except for a dog which was sitting in the middle of the road getting drenched. She whistled, holding her wand in her hand just in case and as he came closer warily Hermione sighed. The pup had been clearly abused and the look her gave her for the briefest of moments reminded her of the one Harry got when he woke up screaming from nightmares.

"Come on then you bloody mongrel, get in out of this nasty weather. I've got some food and a towel you can sleep on – just don't even think about doing your business anywhere on my carpet."

The dog's ears pricked up and she ruffled his fur.

"We can be lonely together."

* * *

Competitions and challenges:

- Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition with the prompt 'Mongrel' for the letter M.

- The If You Dare Challenge with prompt #762 - A Look Tells More Than Words


	3. Badgers and Empty Rooms

**Badgers and Empty Rooms**

Harry opened the letter torturously slow making Hermione whack him.

"Dear Mum and Dad" he read aloud before pausing again.

"HARRY!"

"I'm writing this to you from the Hufflepuff Common Room. I got in! I was so nervous, I don't know why, that maybe the hat wouldn't be able to sort me but as soon as it dropped onto my head it said I would have a wonderful time at Hogwarts, that I shouldn't be nervous and I belonged in Hufflepuff."

Harry read the rest of the letter out smiling so hard his cheeks ached and Hermione hugged him tightly.

"Our little girl's a badger, who would have called it." he murmured into her hair and Hermione sighed happily.

"Remember our sorting?"

"Vividly. I'd never had so many people stare at me." Harry snorted.

"She'll be alright, won't she?" Hermione said after a moment and Harry nodded.

"She's just started the first day of the best years of her life. Now come here, we've finally got the house to ourselves."

Hermione shrieked as Harry threw her over his shoulder, kicking the bedroom door closed with a laugh.

* * *

Competitions and challenges:

- Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition with the prompt 'Yellow' for the letter Y.

- The If You Dare Challenge with prompt #339 - Going To School


	4. Withholding Information

**Withholding Information**

She pulled the tumbler of whiskey from his hand and knelt down so they were on eye level.

"Come on Harry" she whispered "Let's go have a bath."

He didn't say a word following her up the stairs and she maneuverer so he could sit on the toilet seat. The bath filled up with a flick of her wand and with another their clothes were in a pile on the floor. He still didn't react, simply stared straight ahead with eyes that were shadowed and unreadable.

They sat in the water silently and she caressed his body gently with a flannel, kissing every piece of skin she could reach.

"He won't speak Min." Harry whispered brokenly "More people are going to die and he won't tell us how to save them. I have to save them."

His body trembled and she laid her head on his back as he cried, hands fisting in his hair. There was nothing she could say, all Hermione could hope was that he knew she was there.

"It'll be okay love. It'll be okay." she whispered, the words falling flat like they always did and he moved to hold her tightly, body shaking with sobs.

* * *

Competitions and challenges:

- Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition with the prompt 'Withholding' for the letter W.

- The If You Dare Challenge with prompt #606 - Wishful Thinking.


	5. Unobtainable

**Unobtainable**

Was it when she hugged him tightly, face smudged with dirt and tear tracks?

_She was the first person to every hug him. The first person who ever cared._

Harry watched the owls swoop overhead, hunting as night merged with dusk.

_Could he love her?_

She would be in danger, her lift threatened because of him. Did any of that matter – time and time again she'd shown him that she alone would be beside him through thick and thin. People laughed all the time wondering why Hermione was in Gryffindor but Harry knew. He'd always known that she was the bravest of them all.

Perhaps it was when she'd been lying petrified. Perhaps it was a few seconds ago when he'd seen her dancing with Victor Krum.

When he'd fallen in love didn't matter because it had always been there, in the back of his mind. He'd just never let himself realise the truth, that Hermione Granger – know it all, his best friend, the most beautiful girl in the world – was who he wanted to have in his arms. Instead she was dancing with another man_._

That would have to change.

* * *

Competitions and challenges:

- Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition with letter B - 'Birds'

- The If You Dare Challenge with prompt # 7 - Green With Envy


	6. Underage Activities

**Underage Activities **

_His baby girl_ was lying on top of her bed with a boy. The boy's hand was under Charlotte's shirt.

"Charlotte Potter what the hell do you think you're doing!?" Harry roared, watching as the boy practically flew off her, eyes wide with fear.

"Mr Potter" he stammered and Harry glared at him.

"I'm sixteen years old," Charlotte snarled "and Stanley is my boyfriend. Lighten the fuck up Dad."

He narrowed his eyes at her and then pointed a finger at 'Stanley'.

"You. Downstairs now. I think you and I need to have talk."

Stanley swallowed his eyes darting around the room and Harry grabbed him by the arm, dragging him through the house into the lounge. Charlotte followed them yelling at the top of her voice and Ivy poked her head out of the kitchen to smirk at her sister.

"Told you you'd get busted." she whispered before getting out of the line of fire.

"Go back to your room right now Charlotte. Just wait until your Mother comes home." Harry threatened, pushing Stanley down on the sofa and slamming the door closed. Charlotte stomped upstairs, still yelling and Ivy sighed. Tonight was going to be fun.

* * *

Competitions and Challenges:

- The Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition with letter I – 'Impertinent'

- The If You Dare Challenge with prompt #110 – There Is No Need To Shout


	7. You'll Need All The Luck You Can Get

**You'll Need All The Luck You Can Get**

Ivy gripped Neville's hand, tears streaming down her face.

"I don't want you to go Mummy!" the five year old sniffed, wiping her nose with her sleeve and Hermione tsked.

"Come on now Ivy you're a big girl five. Look at Charlotte, she's not crying is she. Be a good girl for Aunty Hannah and Uncle Neville. Mummy and Daddy are only going to the cinema."

"Want to go the cinema too!"

"Tonight's a special night for Mummy and Daddy" Neville said softly "This was the first day they got married. Now come on Ivy, would you like to help me make a cake?"

She wavered uncertainly before nodding. Neville kissed Hermione on the cheek, whispering in her ear.

"Thanks for letting us have them, I'm hoping to warm Hannah up to the idea of kids and this'll be a great test run. Appreciate it."

"Wait until your house looks like a bomb's hit it and neither of them will stop screaming because Captain Catastrophic isn't on TV." Hermione snorted, patting Neville on the shoulder. Neville looked nervously at her as Hermione giggled, walked down the pathway to Harry who was waiting in the car.

"Good luck!"

* * *

- The Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition for letter C - 'Catastrophic'

- The If You Dare Challenge for prompt #308 - House Guests


	8. Perfection

**Perfection**

She twirled around Harry laughing in the snow and he couldn't stop smiling. He'd thought first dates were supposed to be filled with awkward conversation and long pauses but with Hermione it had just been easy. They'd only stopped talking to eat and that silence hadn't lasted long with both of them ravenous.

With snowflakes surrounding them, the world blanketed in white hushed silence and Hermione's fingers interlaced with his it was as though the rest of the world had ceased to exist. They were lost in time and space, lost in each other's eyes and Hermione stood on her tiptoes kissing him. Her cold nose pressed against his cheek and then she giggled he grinned back.

Perhaps perfection did exist after all.

* * *

Challenges and competitions:

- The Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition for letter R - 'ravenous'.

- The If You Dare Challenge for prompt #603 - Lost In Space and Time.


	9. Another Anniversary

**Another Anniversary**

Charlotte solemnly handed a flower to Ivy.

"Don't forget, we has to whisper." she said and Ivy nodded. Their parents followed behind, Harry's gaze lingering on Godric's Hollow in the distance.

"Grandma and Granddad we think you'll like these flowers."

"We picked them out ourselves. They were the prettiest." Charlotte added proudly.

The two girls sat cross legged in between the graves chatting away and Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Don't think too much." she said quietly and he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Gosh for you of all people to tell me that you must be worried." he teased and she scowled. "I can't promise I won't but I'll try not too. It's just watching the girls, so full of life in this place of ruins. Makes you realise you never know what's going to happen but not just that, that life never really ends, does it?"

Hermione shook her head, squeezing Harry tightly and he kissed the top of her head before murmuring that he was going to go and see Remus. Hermione joined the girls on the floor as Harry strode away, autumn leaves crunching underfoot.

* * *

Challenges and competitions:

- The Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition with the letter P - 'Pensive'.

- The If You Dare Challenge with prompt #197 - Old Ruins


	10. Clearing Up Chaos

**Clearing Up Chaos**

"Love? Is that you?" Harry called and Hermione made her way into the kitchen.

"Yeah I just got home – where the hell are all the boxes?" she yelped suddenly, finally taking in the fact that the room was empty of the chaos which had been cluttering it over the past week. They'd just moved into their first house. With both busy with work unpacking hadn't been a priority leading to a lot of Chinese takeaway on napkins.

"I unpacked them all. I've just finished tea as well, I thought some chilli would be simple. Tough day?"

Harry grimaced in sympathy as she nodded, still shocked.

"Horrific he was an absolutely crazed fanatic, barely stopped going on about UFO's. To come home to this though – you unpacked it all by yourself?"

"I know you're going through crap at work so I took the day off." he explained with a shrug and Hermione kissed him.

"You are the sweetest man I know." she murmured and Harry grinned brightly.

"You're probably going to kill me tomorrow because I've put something where none of us can find it." he said honestly and Hermione shrugged.

"Tonight my dear I don't give a damn."

* * *

Competitions and challenges:

- The Alphabet Soup Drabble Competition for letter 'F' Fanatic

- The If You Dare Challenge for prompt #986 - Settling Down

* * *

**A/N:** This is the final drabble of the collection, thank you very much to anyone who has read, reviewed, favourited or followed. Your feedback and encouragement as always means the world to me.

Abby x


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